The Mayima family is seeking a husband for their daughter, Noriko (Setsuko Hara), but she has ideas of her own. Noriko impulsively chooses her childhood friend, at once fulfilling her family's desires while tearing them apart. A seemingly simple story, this drama -- directed with great finesse by Yasujiro Ozu -- is in reality an emotionally complex, nuanced examination of life's changes across three generations.